Road to Success Episode 9 Recap
> Road to Success Recaps
Yu Bo visited Wang Fa at his home, surprised to find him still in yesterday's clothes. He teased Wang Fa about spending the night at Lin Wanxing’s place, noting that her apartment lacked even a bathtub. When Yu Bo curiously inquired how Lin Wanxing had managed to put him to sleep so effectively, Wang Fa simply attributed it to aromatherapy. Shifting to business, Yu Bo asked about the investigation into Lin Wanxing's connection to Spade Q.
Wang Fa admitted that there was an eighty percent compatibility rate between them, though he felt it was not yet a definitive match. Yu Bo jokingly pointed out Wang Fa's contradiction in finding her suspicious while simultaneously defending her. Before leaving, Yu Bo admired the expensive watch he had borrowed from Wang Fa, boasting that his overall outfit made him look like a suitable brother-in-law. Annoyed, Wang Fa headed out for a morning run, leaving Yu Bo to his daydreaming.
At the school training ground, the team gathered as Lin Wanxing secured a professional-level tactical lesson for the boys. Wang Fa explained that trying to teach them advanced professional tactics right away was like trying to run before they could walk, but promised to give them a taste of success if they could manage to score. Introducing Tactic No. 1, which focused on defense before counterattacking, Wang Fa called on Fu Xinshu to analyze their upcoming opponent, Lyujing.
Fu Xinshu noted that the team, nicknamed the Hyenas, was notorious for a highly aggressive offense but a weak defense. Wang Fa instructed the team to compress Lyujing’s attacking space and wait for the right moment to strike. Since Lyujing relied on fast rhythm rather than endurance, the key was to stall them. To execute this plan, Wang Fa shifted the team into a 4-5-1 Formation.
This required Chen Jianghe to drop back from his forward position to strengthen the midfield, leaving Qin Ao as the sole forward to bear the offensive pressure. When Qin Ao expressed confusion over the arrangement, Wen Chengye scoffed at them, calling them losers who were too slow to comprehend the coach's instructions. A fight nearly broke out, but the teammates defused the tension, urging Qin Ao to practice harder to prove Wen Chengye wrong.
During the drill, the players used ropes to maintain proper defensive distance, creating a net-like defense line. Watching them progress, Wang Fa remarked to Lin Wanxing that Wen Chengye’s arrival had injected positive energy into the squad, and he expected the new player to deliver even more surprises. After school, Fu Xinshu received a phone call from his mother, Guan Minjie, who had heard from his grandmother that he was playing football again.
She quickly got to the point, explaining that she needed to undergo a minor surgery soon. Claiming that her husband, Uncle Li, was short of cash, she asked to borrow some money. Although Fu Xinshu anxiously offered to come and support her, she declined, saying the schedule was not yet finalized. Despite having very little savings left in his account, Fu Xinshu selflessly transferred his money to her—which was actually his entire inheritance from his late grandfather.
He also sent her the match details, and she promised to come watch him play. Excitedly, Fu Xinshu shared the news with his friends, who cheered him on. He even purchased a delicate scarf as a gift for her when they met. On their walk home that night, Lin Wanxing thanked Wang Fa for showing the boys more encouragement lately, noting that they were so motivated they wanted to schedule extra practices.
Wang Fa tempered her optimism, warning that passion alone was not enough to win, and certainly not enough to sustain a winning streak. When Lin Wanxing teased him for being too preachy, he insisted he was only sharing the harsh realities of the world. Three weeks later, the day of the match arrived. The team gathered at the stadium, but Wang Fa was nowhere to be found.
Lin Wanxing led the players inside while Wang Fa called to explain he couldn't make it due to an emergency. On the phone call, Wang Fa urged them to ignore his absence and strictly adhere to their defensive tactics, promising they would know when the time was right to attack. In truth, Wang Fa was already inside, watching from the second-floor grandstand with an iced coffee. The match commenced with Lyujing's captain, Jiang Tianyu, taking the kickoff.
Lyujing controlled the possession, utilizing their height advantage to mount rapid attacks. Following Wang Fa's instructions, Hongjing compressed the space and successfully held their defense line, but their offensive capabilities were severely limited. Qin Ao, the sole forward, was heavily marked by multiple opponents and struggled to find any openings, repeatedly getting knocked to the ground. By halftime, the game remained scoreless.
In the locker room, the players voiced their frustration about being constantly pinned back in their own half and lacking any coordinated offense, leaving Qin Ao feeling completely isolated. Up in the grandstand, Wang Fa was joined by his sister, who chided him for drinking coffee instead of guiding his team on the sidelines.
Wang Fa explained that as an interim coach, he did not want to create a false impression of a long-term commitment, which would only make their eventual parting more difficult. His sister teased him about growing attached to the team, but questioned why he had chosen such a struggling squad in the first place, suspecting he had a hidden motive. Wang Fa deflected her questions, stating that the second half was about to start and he had to focus.
As the second half got underway, Lyujing intensified their offensive pressure. Lin Lu suffered a painful leg cramp during a defensive play, and the opponents immediately schemed to target his weakened side. Recognizing the threat, the Hongjing players knew they had to adapt. Fu Xinshu suddenly recalled Wang Fa’s lesson: that blindly following instructions without thinking was a mistake on the field. Realizing they needed to use their brains, Fu Xinshu proposed changing their formation.
Chen Jianghe moved up to join Qin Ao as a second forward, shifting their strategy from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2 Formation. Watching from the stands, Wang Fa smiled with pride, pleased that his players had finally grasped the bigger picture. The formation shift successfully disrupted Lyujing's rhythm, making their attacks repetitive and impatient. Frustrated by the sudden resistance, Jiang Tianyu deliberately slammed into Fu Xinshu, earning a yellow card from the referee and granting Hongjing a set piece.
With both of Hongjing's forwards heavily guarded, Fu Xinshu faced intense pressure. He recalled asking Wang Fa about the most critical duty of a captain, and the coach had advised him to trust his teammates and recognize their potential. Putting this advice into action, Fu Xinshu passed the ball to Wen Chengye. Wen Chengye deftly bypassed Jiang Tianyu and slipped the ball to Chen Jianghe, who crossed it to Qin Ao for a brilliant header.
Hongjing scored, securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory to remain undefeated. As the team prepared to board the bus back to school, everyone was in high spirits except for Fu Xinshu. He was deeply anxious because his mother had failed to show up and was not answering his calls, leaving him terrified that something had gone wrong with her surgery.
Noticing his distress, Lin Wanxing offered to help him look for her, and Wang Fa joined them while the other players went ahead. They took a taxi to the residential compound where Fu Xinshu's mother lived. Just as they arrived, Fu Xinshu spotted his mother, Guan Minjie, returning home. She was walking with her young son, who was holding a brand-new, expensive violin. Fu Xinshu confronted his mother, demanding to know why she had deceived him.
She awkwardly admitted that the hospital had misdiagnosed her and she was perfectly fine. However, she had spent the money he sent to purchase a high-quality violin for his younger half-brother because her husband, Uncle Li, wanted him to have a better instrument. Heartbroken, Fu Xinshu realized that every time she promised to visit him, it was merely a ploy to extract money from him.
He pointed out that the funds he had given her were his entire inheritance from his late grandfather, leaving him with nothing. His mother tearfully pleaded with him to understand her situation, explaining that Uncle Li grew furious and threatened divorce whenever Fu Xinshu was mentioned. Ultimately, she begged him to stop looking for her. Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa watched the devastating scene unfold from a distance, deeply shocked by her heartlessness.
